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So… I've been reading all of these threads about the Beryllium diaphragm stuff, and for some relatively inexplicable reason, felt my blood pressure rising disproportionately to the topic at hand. While I too consider myself a champion for truth, there was something about Mowry's posts that troubled me. I kept clicking the reply button, but then being a former moderator, realized the futility of that. Yes, I know this post will likely re-ignite the flame, but hopefully it will not go down quite the same road. The point here isn't about Beryllium or lack thereof, it's more about politeness and some general words of wisdom. If it does go down the same road as the other thread, I'll just delete it, or figure out a way to have it deleted.
With that being said, let me dive into it…
After some soul searching, I realized that from my perspective as somewhat of an industry insider, I found that this whole crusade by Mowry just didn't sit right with me. As I tried to figure out what my problem was with it, I realized that it offends me as being simply poor etiquette and in violation of an unspoken rule in the audio world: "Sing the merits of your own products as much as you want, but don't do it by putting down someone else's products." Pretty much just like general socializing and personal skills that are learned in elementary school. You don't put someone else down to make yourself look better-- it's just poor taste, and a good way to make enemies. In other words, people need to just mind their own business. To me, Mowry's post violates a gentlemanly rule that has been honored since the dawn of the hi-fi industry.
Yeah, I get the whole "truth in advertising" quest, but there should be some class and dignity to the approach to it, and it shouldn't be done by creating a public spectacle out of things. In this small world of audio, everyone is bringing something to the party, and even if they goof or make a mistake, they're still bringing some life to what could easily be a dying industry. I mean-- Tear down Usher? OK, they stop selling finished speaker systems, then they stop selling raw drivers, and then you've lost an offering to the community as a whole. Yayy…! Or, maybe they'll start buying Mowry's Beryllium. Hmm… is that how it works? I know I would never buy something from someone who publicly made a spectacle about my products, even if it was my mistake. If Usher ends up buying his stuff, I suspect it's because they essentially feel that they've been blackmailed into it.
I'm not going to deny that I perhaps have a biased opinion. I know some of the Usher guys, and have had the pleasure of having dinner with them and hanging out with them on numerous occasions. Yeah, I can see where some would take issue with some of their product offerings, but on the other hand, knowing their side of the story, I can understand where they are coming from. You know, even a "large" company like Usher is just a small group of audio nuts like most other companies in this business. It's the same the world round. So, people shouldn't be surprised about delayed email responses, difficulty in figuring out how to respond to this Beryllium issue, or even the Joe D. issue. If you or I or a group of DIYers were running a company and trying to make headway in the audio world, we might expect to run into similar challenges sooner or later. Even if you don't agree 100% with Usher, they still deserve some respect for their contributions to the audio world.
Bottom line is as a member or hobbyist in the world of high end audio, we have to recognize that this whole market is its own little world, and in the end, no one will be hurt by poor manners other than ourselves. For better or worse, we need to support each other.
Just needed to vent a bit... take care all!
Darren
With that being said, let me dive into it…
After some soul searching, I realized that from my perspective as somewhat of an industry insider, I found that this whole crusade by Mowry just didn't sit right with me. As I tried to figure out what my problem was with it, I realized that it offends me as being simply poor etiquette and in violation of an unspoken rule in the audio world: "Sing the merits of your own products as much as you want, but don't do it by putting down someone else's products." Pretty much just like general socializing and personal skills that are learned in elementary school. You don't put someone else down to make yourself look better-- it's just poor taste, and a good way to make enemies. In other words, people need to just mind their own business. To me, Mowry's post violates a gentlemanly rule that has been honored since the dawn of the hi-fi industry.
Yeah, I get the whole "truth in advertising" quest, but there should be some class and dignity to the approach to it, and it shouldn't be done by creating a public spectacle out of things. In this small world of audio, everyone is bringing something to the party, and even if they goof or make a mistake, they're still bringing some life to what could easily be a dying industry. I mean-- Tear down Usher? OK, they stop selling finished speaker systems, then they stop selling raw drivers, and then you've lost an offering to the community as a whole. Yayy…! Or, maybe they'll start buying Mowry's Beryllium. Hmm… is that how it works? I know I would never buy something from someone who publicly made a spectacle about my products, even if it was my mistake. If Usher ends up buying his stuff, I suspect it's because they essentially feel that they've been blackmailed into it.
I'm not going to deny that I perhaps have a biased opinion. I know some of the Usher guys, and have had the pleasure of having dinner with them and hanging out with them on numerous occasions. Yeah, I can see where some would take issue with some of their product offerings, but on the other hand, knowing their side of the story, I can understand where they are coming from. You know, even a "large" company like Usher is just a small group of audio nuts like most other companies in this business. It's the same the world round. So, people shouldn't be surprised about delayed email responses, difficulty in figuring out how to respond to this Beryllium issue, or even the Joe D. issue. If you or I or a group of DIYers were running a company and trying to make headway in the audio world, we might expect to run into similar challenges sooner or later. Even if you don't agree 100% with Usher, they still deserve some respect for their contributions to the audio world.
Bottom line is as a member or hobbyist in the world of high end audio, we have to recognize that this whole market is its own little world, and in the end, no one will be hurt by poor manners other than ourselves. For better or worse, we need to support each other.
Just needed to vent a bit... take care all!
Darren
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